Energy Savings

So sometimes Warren thinks I'm a little obsessive when it comes to conserving power and lowering our bills. I like to keep our TV, Wii, and DVD player on a surge protector and at night I flip the switch to completely cut off all the power. When we are not in a room the light must be turned off. I use as low a watt bulb as possible in all our lights. Keep the heat set low and air dry clothes on nice days.

Over the last couple years this has really paid off, and our power bill has dropped tremendously! Last week I got this nice little letter in the mail from our power company that showed our average usage and compared it to 100 other comparable homes in my area. Needless to say...we are energy saving superstars :)

They estimated that we saved over $400 dollars last year!!! Wahoo!

Marriage Retreat

Last year my dear friend Courtney invited us to the annual marriage retreat hosted by her church, but with our foster child at the time it was just incredibly difficult to get away. So this year when she asked, we were happy to be able to say yes.

I always love getting to spend time with one of my best friends, but that we were going to be able to spend time together, with our husbands, and in God's word made it SUPER AWESOME!

The theme of the retreat this year was The Art of Marriage

Friday evening began with dinner at the Lure Lodge at Lake Cumberland. I was really uncomfortable during this time because I don't know anyone from her church and felt really out of place. Of course, anyone who knows my husband knows that he was cucumber cool the whole time as he enjoys meeting new people. But, her church is so warm and inviting and soon I felt at home, too.

Dinner was followed by opening worship and then entertainment by George Fields from L'ville. We had a blast!!! During this time we were seated at a table with 3 other couples whom we would spend the next day discussing our study with. It was nice to have a night away with my husband, to laugh, and enjoy the company of new friends. 

Saturday began EARLY, 7am!!! Can we all say YUCK! But after breakfast and some fellowship we were able to get it together enough to make our way to the conference room to begin the session with worship. After that, we dived right into our lessons. 

Video Teaser of Study

Because of our restricted time schedule, we were only able to focus on a few of the topics in the book. Below is a brief description of some of the big take aways, called "the Big brush strokes", from the chapters we were able to cover.

1: Love Happens 

• God designed marriage and has a great plan in mind
• The primary purpose of marriage is to reflect God's glory
• It is important to receive your spouse as God's perfect gift for you

2: Love Fades 

• Couples naturally drift toward isolation
• Our differences and weaknesses can push us apart
• Sin has affected every marriage
• The gospel brings healing and reconciliation
• Couples must learn to walk by the power of the Holy Spirit in marriage

3: Love Dances 

• God designed different responsibilities for men and women in marriage
• Though their responsibilities are different, men and women are still equal in value
• God calls men to sacrificially love and lead their wives
• God calls women to respect and support their husbands

4: Love Always

• To leave a godly legacy, we must think about the impact of our lives on future generations
• Our hope for leaving a lasting legacy is through the gospel of Jesus Christ
• Leaving a godly legacy requires putting a stake in the ground

I am looking forward to going more in-depth with this study with Warren over the next few weeks and enjoying the wonderful gift God gave me in my husband. We are also looking forward to next year's retreat :)

Out with the Old, In with the New

We finally did it!! We bought a new mattress and it arrived today.

Up until this point, we had a mattress that was passed down to me when I was in middle or high school. Considering the length of time I've had it, and that it was pre-owned before that, I'd say we were way over due for a new one.

I kept telling myself that a new topper would fix the springs that could be felt and that surely that's a better option than spending savings on a new mattress. But, that logic just doesn't really hold up when you keep waking up just as tired as you were when you went to bed. Also, a new mattress is cheaper than a new topper in the long run.

We have been looking for months to find the perfect fit for us. We found one that we both liked so we placed a price lock on it. After price shopping for similar mattresses in the area we went back to made the purchase.

The really great thing is that when we got there we noticed the price was almost $100 different. When printing their Black Friday week sales, they misprinted the sign. Double score :)

Out with the Old

In with the New

Fellowship

Had a wonderful time of fellowship at Applebee's with the lovely ladies from Bible study. It's so nice to have a group to meet with to study God's word, discuss marriage, family, and to pray together.

Also thankful that our Sunday School leaders wife has also joined our Bible study group. She has really been such an inspiration and rock for our group. She has graciously opened up her home and her life to us, and as young marrieds we are so thankful for her guidance and prayers. I've prayed for a mentor for a while now and I continue to pray that as we get to know each other more, that we will begin to develop those bonds.

Looking forward to our next study in two weeks!! :)

Tim Hawkins

Last night at a dinner party, Warren and I watched Tim Hawkins for the first time. If you haven't heard of him you should check him out on youtube.

We all met over at a friends house and enjoyed a variety of chili (I took White Chicken Chili) and wonderful fellowship. Most of the couples there we knew through church and working in AWANNA, but we did have the privilege of meeting a few new people too. 

I really enjoy spending time with friends and family. I'm so thankful that with our families so far away, that we have friends and mentors to call on :)

Tim Hawkins - The Wife Song

Tim Hawkins - Songs for ADD

Ready for Fall

The weather here has been beautiful! We've had just enough rain to bring in cooler temps and green up the grass some but not so much that it feels super humid or wet outside.

This is our favorite time of year. We turn off the air and open all the doors and windows, and try to have most meals outside. In addition to the clothes I already dry outside, I also like to pull out all the blankets and clothes from the closets to air on the line. It helps to keep them smelling fresh and feeling crisp :)

I've started experimenting with new scents for candles to welcome in the season too! For the summer I used orange, lemon, lemongrass, lime oil etc for a light summer scent. But now I'm looking for warmer scents like pumpkin or evergreen. The problem is that there's not essential oils for that and I want to avoid artificial scents. My latest attempt was to put pumpkin spice in the candle. It smelled wonderful while I was making it and I was so excited to burn it the next day. When I got up I was disappointed to see that all the spice settled to the bottom during the cooling process and no longer smells nice :(  So, if you have any ideas on how to achieve those fall scents without artificial fragrance please let me know.

Auto Pilot

Yesterday as I was leaving Hobby Lobby I totally clicked into auto pilot mode. I had parked at the end of the lot and on my walk to the car I became so engrossed in my thoughts, who knows what they were now, that when I arrived at the car I unlocked it, sat in the passenger seat, reached over and started the car and was waiting on Warren to get in! I've become so accustomed to going places with him that I forgot that I drove there...by myself.  OY, at least I wasn't trying to talk to him in the store where others could see my craziness!